North Korea maintains that it is unable to transfer nearly $121,500 owed to the United Nations after its Foreign Trade Bank, which handles most foreign currency exchanges, was put on a sanctions blacklist in August.

In a statement, the North Korean mission slammed “illegal and unlawful” sanctions for preventing Pyongyang from “honoring its obligation as a UN member-state.”

Countries that fail to pay their dues can eventually lose their voting rights at the UN General Assembly, if the amount totals more than the two previous year’s contributions.

UN management chief Jan Beagle told the North Korean mission “that the UN would work with them to try to find a way through which they could pay,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

One solution would be for North Korea to open an account at the UN Federal Credit Union, which serves mostly UN employees.